So Wednesday 3 September and we are leaving Toul,
down the Moselle for 20 odd kilometres, and then heading for Nancy. We booked
the junction lock yesterday for 9h00, and were assured it was “in the computer”
but all we have is a red light. After
some phone calls an agent arrives. He
knew the lock was booked but didn’t have our name or in which direction we were
travelling!!
Any way we are on our way and through the lock by
9h45, and having a gentle cruise along the Gabarit (until the first river lock
the Moselle is canalised). The
lock-keeper picks up our VHF and says he has a commercial coming upstream so we
will need to wait on the quay. After the
20 minutes the commercial emerges from the lock, but there are now no lights
whatsoever on the lock. Do we move – do
we stay. Thinking the lock-keeper may be
waiting for us we and the German couple now behind us think maybe we should
make for the lock. But then lock-keeper
is running towards. His lights are not
working but he has another commercial coming downstream and we will have to
wait for that. But we will be able to go
in the lock with the commercial.
It is quite a wait.
Dorothea and Ulrich Krause on the Stella Maris moor up behind us and
we have a long chat about boats and destinations. Although from Hamburg they are only going
down the Moselle. By the time the
commercial has arrived there are another two boats to go with us. All German, no French.
So we all head out in a steady convoy behind the
commercial in the order we arrived. All
the German boats are faster than us.
First the Krauses overhaul us and then the other two boats go ahead too,
but these and the commercial are all waiting at the next lock as it comes into
sight. As we are some way behind we ask
on the VHF whether we can come in too.
Of course says the lock-keeper but “depeches-toi” – get a move on.
All the German boats keep their engines running
while in the lock. Why, we don’t
know. These locks are very safe and the
descent is very smooth and controlled.
Obviously they don’t have Thames rules, but why waste fuel? Linda is even more irritated at the front of
the boat as the one ahead of her is really pumping out some noxious stuff. We remember the Bad Godesberg rowers on the
Sarre last year saying waves are nothing, but fumes not nice.
Now, in the order leaving the lock, we are
last. Will we keep up for the next
lock? The Krauses are first but they pull off into
Liverdun and wave us a goodbye. The
bends at Liverdun make everyone a little slower so we all make the third lock
in good time. Still fumes though. Then the commercial heads down to Metz,
Luxembourg or wherever, and the three leisure boats, we included, turn off to
Nancy.
The river exit lock can only take two boats but we
don’t mind. At least we will be away
from the fumes. When it is our turn we
explain nicely on the VHF that we are low in the water and is it just possible
he could help with our ropes. No
problem, he says, and seems almost to enjoy the walk from his cabin to help us
moor up.
12 kms to Nancy.
This is an easy cruise, but the whole journey has taken 7½ hours rather
than the expected 6. But we relax. We will
just pass the night here, though several Brits in camper vans or on boats come
to chat and nose at the boat. There are
reasonable walks for the dogs
Nancy is just an overnight stop this time. No need for power so we moor just outside the
port. Are we stingy? But why pay €25 just to moor around the corner,
hemmed in?
The next morning we are onward to Crevic, a gentle
countryside mooring in a small village.
No facilities but green grass and clean air are all the facilities we
need.
Crossing
the Meurthe
We cross the Meurthe. It is wide and wiggly but quite shallow and
unnavigable. At Crevic we are on our
own, and the girls can run and run. A
little later a Dutch hotel boat with about 12 passengers pulls in. And then a little later still Le
Canard Qui Rit whose port d’attache is also Briare and used to be moored
next to us above Pont Henri IV. We
exchange chatter about Briare. They only
left this Spring. Our new Capitaine’s
ears would be burning, but it is only nice things that are said about her.
From Crevic we do another 17 kms to Parroy which is
also a delightful stop, but attached to a camp site with all facilities. This is a great spot. The manager remembers us and even has a copy of
the “Le Chemin d’Enfer”, which she
said she would get last year. We are
impressed.
A hire boat comes in. We all think they are going to stop. Do you sell wine they ask? The answer is no and without a car there is
no easy solution. We offer them two bottles
at knock down prices. If we are to moor
together it is only neighbourly. But 10
minutes they are off. Only here for the
wine, obviously.
The bad news! The tow path is closed for several
kilometres as it is being re-laid as a good class cycle track. The good news is there are brilliant walks
around the lake nearby, full of beauty peace and tranquillity. And next year the towpath will be easily
cyclable. The girls enjoy some great
walks, though Shady thinks some of them are a bit long.
The Etang de Parroy
Dogs Do Like a Lap
And Ducks Do Prefer to Sleep at this Ungodly Hour
Reflections in the Canal at Parroy
Next day on to Xures, hardly any distance, where
there are new moorings. We are surprised
how expensive they are. Power is limited
hours, and we do not need it. Some we
just moor up nearby. With the loss of
the towpath walks here are not easy, though we find some meadows to walk
in. We’ll give this a miss if we pass
here again.
Colchicums at Xures
Colchicum Close Up
Leaving Xures another lock fails. It is not unbearable but it is noticeable
that this year quite often (one in three or four times) the first lock in the
morning requires an agent called out before it will work automatically. We
pass Lagarde (don’t like the horse flies there) and have a nice stop at Sainte
Marie. The Navig France guy is there and
we chat about the Arzvillier plane (boat hoist) which is closed again this
year, and he doesn’t think it will re-open until July next year. The closure is clearly hitting their hire business.
Strasbourg cut off from France: well by canal at least. But we mustn’t joke about. People are beginning to lose their jobs.
Guess What – The First Lock failed Again
Now we are on the last section of the Marne-Rhine
canal before the big lock at Rechicourt.
This reach of water always delights, as does the reach afterwards into
the Sarre. The lift this time takes us
the full hour (including a half-four wait) but it is very peaceful.
The Approach to Rechicourt
We moor next at Alberschaux on the Sarre Canal. We
do love Alberschaux. The girls love it even more so. We spend two nights. The girls can run and walk freely. We also scavenge waste wood from the forest
to fully replenish our store for cold nights, though they don’t seem likely at
the moment. Two other hire boats spend
one of the nights alongside us. We
recommend in discussion the restaurant at Lock 16 further up, and are delighted
when we meet one of them later, who has taken up the recommendation.
The
Forest path at Albeschaux
On to Mittersheim. The approach is wonderful even if they are
twelve locks (well they are downstream).
The Cottage at Lock 12 Before Mittersheim
Mittersheim always delights us. Last year the electrical and water supplies
were a bit “hit and miss”, as were charging for them. This year they have done some good work on
the facilities, well worth the modest charge. It is a functional but very attractive
village, with great walks out into the countryside. We don’t know why the French don’t roam out
as much as we do. Farmers are always surprised
to see us, but always with a friendly wave.
Before the winter some of the paintwork needs some
attention. Glyn begins to touch up the
red side panels, but then decide it makes them look worse: so the whole needs
to be repainted. We are moored starboard
here, so decides to repaint the whole side as we will moored port-side at the
next stop where he can do the other side. Not totally professional, but it goes
very well.
Moored at Mittersheim – One Side Painted
Opposite our mooring is the entry to the old disused
Canal des Salines. Here is perfect
countryside. It is hard to imagine it
100 years ago, moored on the “Coal Canal” opposite the junction of the “Salt
Canal”. But again the old canal offers
great walks out into the countryside.
Entry to the old Canal des Salines (RIP 1938)
After two days in Mittersheim we move just 8 kms and
three locks down to “Ecluse 16” which really is in the middle of nowhere. We even have to debate whether we are in
Alsace or Lorraine, but conclude (well several days later) Lorraine –
just. After mooring and walking the dogs
Glyn sets to repainting the red panels on the other side of the boat. Alas until half way through the very faint
drizzle starts. Not heavy, not
cold. But no good for painting, and some
of the work already completed will have to be redone.
Another half side painted at Ecluse 16
Another reason for a stop here is that the
restaurant at the old forestry lodge is really very good, and we did not really
celebrate our wedding anniversary last week: so we treat ourselves to a very
pleasant meal out. Well, it saves on the
washing up!
A Belated Anniversary also at Ecluse 16
The walks here are even better than from
Mittersheim. The information panel just
along from the restaurant refers to the remains of “Welsch protestant villages”
somewhere in the forest, but we do not penetrate far enough to find them, nor
the origin of the word “Welsch”. But the
girls enjoy the meanderings to look for them.
Never did find the origins of these “Welsch” protestant villages – Does “Waels”
in Lorrain mean the same as in Anglo-Saxon? Just people who live in the wild?
Excellent long walks in the forest – this is just perfect dog country
Well, we manage to complete the boat painting, and
then move on to Sarralbe, the next big stop before our destination at the
German border. As we move up the canal we find some intriguing buildings alongside
the forest, if not Welsch villages.
Can’t find “Welsch” villages but we can find Indian ones
Our main reason for a stop at Sarralbe is the need
for a supermarket. Living in the wild is
great but alas there are always modern needs.
We moor out of town, and have not been into the centre before. So after
cycling to the supermarket we think it might be fun to also try the couple of
miles into town. We were glad we did
it. The centre is small but well-appointed
with some beautiful buildings and great boulangerie/patisserie. And they have also built a new “halte
nautique” with all the facilities you can want.
The entrancing centre of Sarralbe – Church, Tower and Entry
After Sarralbe we were going to cruise just 13 kms
to Wittring where there is a good boat club.
We moor up at lunch time but realise this is not good for the dogs, and
VNF are promoting Zetting just a few kilometres further on. The €14 charge for facilities we don’t need
clinches that we move on.
Zetting has a simple mooring just outside the
village, but very pleasant. A lot of renovation has been in the building. It has obviously become a commuter village
for Sarreguemines and Saarbrucken. But
it is very pleasant. The 12th
century church is alas locked, but the churchyard is itself fascinating. Almost all the burials here are 20th
century which surprised us, and almost all with Germanic family names but
French first names. The number of
shortened lives which survived the war but ended prematurely in the next decade
cats a sad pall over the troubled times this beautiful area has survived, now
at least to have found peace at last.
The old church tower at Zetting
Now we are really being lazy tourists. Just two kilometres and one lock to our next
delightful stop at Sarreinsming: beautiful village and great bakers. Lovely walks along the Sarre and into the
fields. An old farmer is picking apples
but greets us happily. He prefers to
speak German which we do haltingly. His
family always spoke Lorrain and he only learnt French at school. Though his grandchildren now only speak
French he says ruefully. The dogs are a
hit with him. Even Topsy can be charming
when she sets her mind to it.
The Mill and Weir at Sarreinsming
And so we make the final leg of this year’s journey –
a whole 3 kms and 3 locks into Sarreguemines.
We find our winter mooring with the lock-keeper who give us various
options but tells which he thinks is best.
The diesel pump isn’t working, and they don’t seem interested in fixing
he says. But anyway it’s 30c a litre
cheaper 100m up the road at the supermarket.
We have five days before we head back home, but
first have to get the car from Toul.
Glyn’s expensive €10 rail ticket takes him via Metz and Nancy with a
long stop at Metz and hurried change at Nancy.
Friday we feel we have time for a day off, so take
the dogs out for walks in the forest (now we have the car) and also visit the
medieval village of Fenetrange, which is nearer Mittersheim but the cycle ride
was just a bit too long to leave the dogs on their own. It is well worth a visit but sadly decaying
in many parts, though some first efforts seemed to be in place to brighten it
up.
Decaying Charm at Fenetrange
The weekend is cleaning, washing, dieseling (alas
once again with jerry cans), vets, and all those things you have to do before
leaving the boat for the winter.
We have plenty of neighbours to chat too in the
port. Nearly all are German who come
over from Saarbrucken. Our immediate
neighbour is retired decorative mason now an amateur artist. We get by in German. It is surprising how a bit of practice brings
it back. His boat is called “Born out” a pun on his surname of
Born, but Joerg is a great neighbour, and Topsy learns slowly not to bark at
his dog. The second hand dealer (whose
business card says “dosdecamion” – back of a lorry: maybe it does not have the same
connotation in French) who lives in the nearby lock cottage also makes friends,
and both say they will keep an eye on the boat over the winter, as well Gerd
and Christophe Schroeteler from the local boatyard. So we finish content and relaxed, with many
pleasant walks around the canal and river.
Moored up at Sarreguemines – sticking out like an unsore thumb
We leave you with pictures of Sarreguemines,
Regenerated and Degenerated
The
Boating Club House
Restoration
of Parts of the Faiencerie
The
Beautiful Passerelle
Fishing
in the Morning Mist
And
“En Famille”
Where
River Meets Canal
Gas
and Rail Bridges over the River Sarre
The
Decaying Faiencerie
A
Last View – Still Sticking Out
So finally we wend our way back to Calais and
home. It is quite a trek now and we
cannot leave until midday, so take the motorway. The journey though is like a trip down memory
lane of the year. Metz, Verdun, Chalon-en-Champagne, Sillery, Reims. We stop at a motorway services just south of
Reims and realise that Vaudemange and Sept-Saulx, quiet stopping points in
April, are just 3 kms in either direction.
Glyn cycled the road alongside the services here and went under the motorway
just 1 km away. This roaring speeding
traffic though seems a millennium away from the peace of the canals just over
there. But onward – Laon,
Chauny-Tergnier, St Quentin, we even pass by the Riqueval tunnel, and then
Cambrai – before we head further west whereas in the boat we were heading north
to Belgium.
Well, that’s it for this year. Hope to be in touch again next April.
